Gale's GB
George Gale & Company Ltd

It's been two years since I last had a pint of this on draught in a Gale's pub in Brighton, which used to be one of my local favourite summer beers. Alas, now that the Gale's been bought by the Fuller's, I wonder for how long this beer will continue its existence, since the Gale's has ceased producing the draught version of this beer for quite a while... This version is bottle-conditioned, coming in a 500ml brown bottle, BBE Jan 06. Served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a hazy amber hue with strong orangey hints; fluffy foamy head dissipates quite fast, leaving uneven sheets of tight lacing; very gently carbonated body.
S: biscuity and faintly nutty malts lying on a bed of lovely flowery aromatic hops decorated with very mildly honeyish and faintly citrussy hints (Fuggles). The nose is very different from the cask-version, with heavier presence of maltiness, but it's balanced with the rich hoppy aroma and presents a healthy balance.
T: blissfully bitter-sweet malty with a tannic touch on the palate, gradually bringing out the good depth of hoppy bitterness, with semi-fermented Chinese tea-leaves as well as a little sour edge like citrus-tea. Turning dryish and pleasantly bitter in the superbly-lingering aftertaste, and the body is really held intact and firm up until the last second of tasting.
M: smooth and soft, kept reasonably lively by tiny fizz, but the body is really impressive for this 4.5%abv. bitter, staying firm constantly and provides a real focus on the palate, perhaps making up for the lack of more colourful flavours.
D: my conclusion is still that it tastes and smells so differently from the cask version, of which I haven't kept any notes so couldn't make responsible comparison. This bottled version is more like a cup of cold, quality tea, by which I imply a simplistic pleasure and really good depth. Nice one, and I wish the Fuller's will keep it going along with all other beers in the Gale's range...

The colour is amber with a tint of orange; the liquid is a bit cloudy. The thin beige head sinks down to a thin but stable lid.

The smell is fruity and a bit bitter with notes of toffee and wine gum candy. Maybe there is a trace of chlorine.

The taste is pretty mild with sweet, cream-like malt. There is, of course, a generous bitterness with a twist of lemon and some dry hoppy notes. The aftertaste is short with a discreet bitterness and a fine sweetness.

As it should be for a bitter, the carbonation is tender with microscopic bubbles, making this beer very easy to drink. One can only dream of drinking this brew as real ale...